Redskins down Coldwater Junior ACME 11-7

Staked to a 2-0 lead when sophomore first baseman Kodi Morgan scored on a passed ball after he was walked and moved to second on a single by sophomore third baseman Jon Eaton and a walk to left fielder Taylor Gonzales. Eaton scored on a groundout by second baseman Alex Rasche.

Coldwater took advantage of four errors to score five unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning, but Lotridge maintained his composure as his team continued to hit the ball well.

The Redskins responsed with five in the top half of the third to give Lotridge the runs he needed. Sophomore shortstop Keaton Metz hit a long drive for a 2-run double to plate freshman center fielder Cort Merricle and Lotridge.

Morgan hit an RBI single and Eaton had a double. Morgan and Eaton scored on wild pitches.

After giving up a run in the bottom half of the inning, Metz doubled to deep left-centerfield and Eaton followed with an RBI double. Gonzales completed the trifecta with an RBI double and staked Lotridge to a 9-6 lead.

After Coldwater manufactured a run in the bottom half, Morgan drove in Lotridge after walks to Lotridge and Metz to take a 10-7 lead. They tacked on an insurance run in the top half of the seventh when Gonzales scored on an error.

Eaton led the way offensively going 3-for-4 with two doubles and Metz followed that up by going 2-for-4 with two doubles. Morgan went 2-for-3 in the game.

Lotridge pitched to the first batter in the seventh with a line score of six innings pitched. He struck out 11 batters and gave up six hits. He walked five. Of the seven runs he gave up, only two were earned.

Eaton relieved and pitched one inning, walking one and striking out two.

In Friday’s action, the Redskins fell to the Crestview Knights for the second time in four days.

After falling 11-8 Tuesday in an error-filled game behind the pitching of sophomore pitchers Eaton and Metz — the error bug struck again and in the same inning, the fifth.

Trailing 4-1 after surrending four unearned runs in the top of the second, the Redskins rallied in the bottom of the third to tie the score.

Lotridge singled to lead off the inning, Metz, who has been driving the ball deep the past two games, doubled to put runners on second and third. After a walk to Gonzalez, sophomore right fielder Griffin Parrett drove a ball to the fence in the left-center field gap for a 3-run double.

This knotted the score at four, with Wapakoneta scoring one in the first when freshman center fielder Allen White was hit by a pitch and scored on deep double by Metz, who finished the day going 3-for-4 with three doubles.

Freshman starting pitcher Rob Laney mowed down the Knights again in the fourth, but just like on Tuesday errors permitted Crestview to score five times in the top of the fifth.

In five innings of work, Laney struck out five among four walks and surrendered three hits.

With Laney spent after five innings in the 100-plus degree weather, sophomore Nate Kaeck came in relief. He surrendered a lone run in the top of the seventh. He struck out four in two innings.

Wapak falls to 14-7 and begins the next round of play Sunday at 5 p.m. at Parkway High School in Rockford.

The teams advancing are Wapakoneta, Crestview, St. Henry and Coldwater.